Those who are unrepentant sinners definitely should be afraid of God and His final judgment on them if they do not repent before they die. Also, the Bible tells us that many unbelievers left behind after the Rapture of the Church (Christ's Bride; true believers) will have an opportunity to come to faith in Jesus, the Savior, during the 7 Year Tribulation period which follows the Rapture. But they will do so as a sure guarantee that they will suffer death (by beheading; Revelation 20:4) by the antichrist system and government during the Tribulation.
One verse needed to be shared here is James 2:19: "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble."
Sadly, many unrighteous people today believe there is a God, but they do not even "tremble" like the demons do, because they are so far gone in their wickedness.
Following is an excellent 5 minute sermon clip by deceased Pastor David Wilkerson titled "Fear the Lord"
Some Scriptures in the above sermon are:
"Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil." - Proverbs 3:7
"By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil." - Proverbs 16:6
Fear of the Lord means - for true believers - to have a deep reverence for Him, an awe of Him and of His power and Majesty, a proper respect for Him; which in turn will lead a person to have a great love for Him. "In the Old Testament, they considered a proper fear of God was a token of true piety."
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." - Proverbs 9:10
"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." - 2 Corinthians 7:1
Psalm 128 is only 6 verses, and it is all about fearing the LORD. Following are verses 1 to 2:
"Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in His ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee."
Below is a 30 minute sermon by Pastor Charles Lawson titled: "Afraid of God". In it, Pastor Lawson tells us that: "If you fear God, it is a good sign that you know Him." Excellent Sermon! Please watch !
Here is another daily devotional by Intouch Ministries (Dr. Charles Stanley). It is a short 2 minute clip, but full of precious thoughts concerning the proper fear of God. It admonishes us to not treat God too lightly - like a "Buddy" of sorts. God/Jesus is your friend, that is true, but we must approach Him with the realization that He is Holy and therefore our fellowship with Him should be filled with honor and respect.
Much has been mentioned on this blog about fellow-shipping with the good Lord. He wants to hear from you! We should spend much time with Him in heartfelt prayer, as well as daily reading of His Holy Word, the Bible. By doing so, you will grow in your love for Him and you will desire to draw ever closer to Him. You cannot fellowship with anyone and get to know them if you never communicate with them. Obviously, the same is true of Almighty God, the Sovereign of the Universe! It is a privilege to be able to commune with Him in prayer! By spending time with the good Lord in Bible Reading/Study and being often in prayer, we will develop a close, personal, loving, intimate, living relationship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ. That is the main goal everyone should desire.
With the world in such a turmoil in these last moments of the last days, and the fact that Jesus could return for His followers at any moment to rapture them to heaven, we should be busy in spiritual endeavors -- doing God's will and sharing the Gospel of Jesus, the Savior ! Don't cling to a dying world!
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lusts thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." - 1 John 2:15-17
If you are not saved, have not been "born again" ( a spiritual rebirth), then please prayerfully consider the following salvation Scripures.
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." - John 3:36
Jesus is waiting to hear from you!
He loves you!
He will welcome you with open arms to embrace you in His love and forgiveness!
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."John 3:16
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." - John 14:6
Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend - and life !!
My photograph above of the slippers on the sand rather reminds me in a roundabout way of that poem several years ago "Footprints in the Sand". Also, we as true believers in Jesus as the Savior should endeavor to always walk as He walked. He was perfect, we are not! Until we are in glory with Him, we will remain imperfect in this world. Yet spiritually, those who are born again are "clean and pure" in God's sight because He sees us through the redeeming work of Jesus; our spiritual rebirth.
Pastor Chuck Smith (the founder of Calvary Chapel Churches) says that a man is one of two categories: either a servant of sin or a servant of God.
Here is a wonderful sermon by Pastor Smith on Romans chapters 5 and 6. It is about an hour and 19 minutes in length, but you will find it so engrossing that the length of it is of no regard to you.
"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." - Romans 6:11
"For sin shall not have dominion over over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." - Romans 6:14
Based on Adam Clarke's Commentary on Romans 6:14, it basically means that God and your salvation (in which you were indwelt with the Holy Spirit by your belief in Jesus as the Savior) ....God and the Holy Spirit guard you from habitually sinning; although we do at times miss the mark, as Pastor Chuck discusses in the above sermon. "True believers are under the merciful dispensation of the Gospel; in the death of Christ, God has provided pardon for all that is past, and grace to help in every time of need."
I pray that you will take the time to watch the entire sermon above by Pastor Chuck Smith. He mentions in his sermon the following hymn, "Take My Life And Let it Be", here sung by Chris Tomlin:
If you have not been saved by belief in Jesus as the Savior and by belief that His shed blood at Calvary can wash your sins away because of his sacrificial death as the Lamb of God, and because He paid our sin debt in full - took our place - and died so that we may have eternal life; then please prayerfully consider the following Scriptures:
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." - John 3:36
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." - John 14:6
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16
Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend - and life!!
[Kaelepulu Stream Near Kailua Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii]
My photograph above was taken, obviously, a long time before social distancing and any "lockdown." Many unexpected events have occurred since then - even since January of this year, which is obvious to everyone in the world by now. But not everyone is aware of what's "behind the scenes". Following is a 54 minute video by Bible Prophecy experts which gets down to the nitty gritty of our current situation. It is a MUST that you view this video, for your own safety and life, even. Featured in the following video are Jan Markell, and pastors Tom Hughes and Brandon Holthaus.
Many of you believers are no doubt familiar with the Scripture about "peace and security" found at 1 Thessalonians 5:3 which follows:
"For when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." - (speaking of sinful and wicked persons who do not know Christ.)
Also in 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 4 - 11 concerns true believers in Jesus as the Savior; those verses follow:
"But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light , and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do."
It would be beneficial for everyone to read all of 1 Thessalonians 5.
[A day at Kailua Beach, Oahu, Hawaii]
Here is a link to Jan Markell's newsletter which is found at her website: olivetreeviews.org . Her entire website is one that you might want to visit often, not only for her newsletter, but other pertinent information concerning our prophetic times (the last moments of the last days). There you will find articles by various pastors and others, as well as videos.
The information in the newsletter link above is a must read! Following is a quote in the above newsletter link from an E-mail sent to Jan by a pastor: "We don't live in uncertain times. Not at all! These times are as certain as any time in all of human history, and the God of the universe laid out this time in great detail, point by point, and in fact with all the details needed by His people, to live in times of absolute certainty !! So no, there is nothing uncertain about the times we live in to the believer who is seeking to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."
In the link above, on the newsletter, there is included a recent video that is very enlightening so far as our current world situation is concerned. I will post a link to it here, in case you do not check out Jan's newsletter. It is a "Prophecy Roundtable - Globalism and the New World Order", featuring Jan Markell, Amir Tsarfati, and Pastor Barry Stagner. It is well worth your time (and your mind) to watch all 70 minutes of this recent video.
Note: Having difficulty with the link. You can go to Behold Israel on You Tube and look for the video by Amir "Prophecy Round table : Globalism and the New World Order" posted on August 29, 2020. Or simply go to the above link to Jan Markell's newsletter and you will, as said previously, find the video there.
[Kailua Beach, Oahu, Hawaii]
Lately on this blog, there have been mostly posts concerning salvation. I feel as if this is most important for Christians to share with others. Jesus said to His disciples:
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." - Matthew 28:19,20
Again, to Martha at John 11:25,26: I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?"
Belief in the Gospel; belief that Jesus died for our sins and took our place on the cross and shed His precious blood so that by believing that He is the Savior, and that His shed blood (as of a sacrificial Lamb) can wash our sins away.... wipe the slate clean, and we become a new creation . This is the most important message Christians can preach !
"Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things have passed away; behold, all things are become new." - 2 Corinthians 5:17
However, almost 1/3 of the Bible consists of prophecy! Since God included it in His Holy Word, it should be considered important too! Many, because of prophecies in the Bible, and how they came true in the past and they are coming true right now as well.....many persons have come to faith in Christ by knowledge of Bible prophecy - they were convicted that the Bible is true, and therefore all of God's Holy Word concerning Jesus and Salvation must be true as well.
In Ezekiel 33, much is said concerning us to be "Watchmen on the wall." Obviously, it meant those in Ezekiel's time, but the same principle definitely applies to true believers today - to sound the alarm in these times as well. Part of Ezekiel 33 applied to sounding the alarm about the danger of war. Verse 6 says:
"But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand."
Also verses 7-9.... "So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at My mouth, and warn them from Me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul."
So we see that not only should we warn people to turn FROM SIN and instead turn to belief in JESUS AS THE SAVIOR, but we should also warn of war (as in Ezekiel 33) and other dangers; to alert people of the signs of the times and caution them to avoid certain things; especially to avoid things that go against God's Holy Word.
All true believers should be "ministers" in a sense, as well as "watchmen" that warn of evil and corruptness and dangers to avoid; (the signs of the times... these last days) and to obey only God. That is, we should obey traffic laws and other such things, but do not do anything that God's Holy Word says to avoid!
Please watch the following 15 minute sermon by deceased Pastor David Wilkerson titled "The Only Hope In The Coming Storm."
That is me in front of this landmark lighthouse on the island of Kauai several years ago. A wildlife sanctuary is also there. I chose a lighthouse photo of mine because this post will mostly concern itself with Jesus, our Savior, the Son of God; and Jesus is often symbolized by a lighthouse; He is our light to guide us over troubled waters and storms of life. And many today are experiencing storms in their lives like never before; all of us just want things to go back to "normal". Since we are living in the end of this dispensation of Grace (The Church Age) and it is obvious that the New World Order is in its beginning stages, things are NOT going to go back to what they were. It should draw us ever closer to the good Lord and make us look forward with hope and joy to when He returns and takes us to be with Him in heaven before the 7 year Tribulation begins soon.
In a previous post on this blog (August 8, 2020), we discussed Romans 7 and how even the apostle Paul struggled with sin, even though he was saintly and a true servant of the Lord. This post will focus more on Jesus Himself and the importance of His shed blood at Calvary -- How belief in Jesus as the Savior can give one the hope of eternal life and the fact that His shed blood can wash us clean and that gives us eternal life if we but believe in Him.
Following is a wonderful video that gives insight to the importance of "the Blood". Think of it, a baby gets its blood from the father. And who was Jesus' Father? Yes, Almighty God Himself ! Makes one realize even more so how precious is the blood of Jesus and how it can make us clean from sin. The video below is 14 minutes and one of the narrators is Reinhard Bonnke: It gives us insight about our protection from God. It is a must watch for all believers !
"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood." - Revelation 1:5
"Jesus is the great friend of His church and His people, One Who has done great things for them..... He has loved them, and in pursuance of that everlasting love, He has... washed them from their sins in His own blood. Sins leave a stain upon the soul, a stain of guilt and of pollution. Nothing can fetch out this stain but the blood of Christ; and, rather than it should not be washed out, Christ was willing to shed His own blood, to purchase and pardon and be a purity for them." - a partial quote of Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on Revelation 1:5
One of the most comforting verses which tells us that Jesus will always be with us is found at Matthew 28:20 , which is part of the "Great Commission" :
"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and , lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. "
Below is the most wonderful audio sermon by Andrew Murray ever!! in which he uses that verse at Matthew 28:20 as his main subject. We must seek God/Jesus with our whole heart and there are abundant rewards for those who do so! In the sermon, Murray stresses what God expects from us... mainly only believe !! But he also admonishes us to seek God/Jesus with all of our heart (Jeremiah 29:13) and to spend much time in true intense prayer and fellowship with Him. Please, please watch this excellent 28 minute video! You will be glad you did.
In these troubled times of today, these end times, the main thing is to keep your focus on God and Jesus, and on things above. After all, that is the only thing that can help us to enter heaven. This world is dying; heaven is alive and glorious! Words cannot fully express how wonderful heaven will be! The best thing is, we will be with Jesus, the Savior, for all eternity !
"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth." - Colossians 3:1-2
Remember the old hymn "Trust and Obey" ? It rather fits here with Andrew Murray's sermon above. Here is a lovely version of that hymn:
If you are not saved, have not been truly born again (a spiritual birth from above) then you will not enter heaven when you die. You will go to the other alternative.
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." - John 3:36
Following are Scriptures that will help you to come to a true, living faith in Jesus Christ the Savior:
"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?" - John 11:25-26
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." - John 14:6
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16
Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend - and life !
It had rained earlier the day I took the above photograph. It is the one photo I have taken that comes close to depicting a "storm", which is the subject of this post. We are referring to the storms of life that come upon us from time to time. All of us are now suffering the effects of Covid-19 in one way or another; and the same goes for the current world events otherwise; the chaotic and lawless effects of a world gone mad!
The following excellent 29 minute sermon by Dr. David Jeremiah deals with the subject "A Shelter in the Storms of Life". Dr. Jeremiah tells us what we can do when storms invade our lives.
"Peace is not the absence of stress, peace is the presence of the Savior." - Dr. David Jeremiah
"The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him." - Nahum 1:7
Many of us tend to not read Nahum often. But the above verse is so beautiful and comforting. God will deliver those who are His in their day of trouble and danger; and by "a stronghold" it refers to how God is a defense and is our strength and "fortress" by His love and protection of us, His children.
Nahum 1:7 is mentioned in the following 13 minute video below titled : "The Guardian of the World - God is Watching and He is in Control." Towards the end of the following video, Pastor Chuck Smith (the founder of the Calvary Chapel Churches) is also one of the narrators of this encouraging message.
The message above reminds us that we are never alone! And, also, to not focus on the problem, but instead to focus on God and Jesus, and He will help you and fight your battles !
"The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." - Exodus 14:14
"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the LORD." - Isaiah 54:17
[Boats and Rainbow Bridge, Haleiwa, North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii]
One Scripture quoted before on this blog, which rather ties in with the subject matter today, is Psalm 27:14, which follows:
"Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: Wait, I say, on the Lord."
Psalm 28:7 tells us: "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped."
"I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." - Psalm 34:4
On the above verse at Psalm 34:4, Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary explains, in part : "David found Him [Yahweh] a prayer-hearing God. "I sought the Lord' in my distress, entreated His favor, and begged His help 'and He heard me' , answered my request immediately and 'delivered me from all my fears.'....God by His providence....and grace...works in us to silence our fears and still the tumult of the spirit. This latter is the greater mercy of the two. ...... When we look to the world we are darkened, we are perplexed, and at a loss; but when we look to God, from Him we have the light of both of direction and joy, and our way is made both plain and pleasant."
[Rainbow Shower Tree Blossoms]
Remember always, if you are a true follower of Jesus, and have been born again (a spiritual rebirth from above) then Jesus makes you a conqueror and makes you victorious!
Romans 8:37 tells us: "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us."
"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Corinthians 15:57
"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." - 1 John 5:4
Most of you are familiar with the fact that "storms of life" will make you turn more to prayer and reliance on the good Lord. It will increase your faith, and make you stronger when you see God working in your behalf and helping you in whatever circumstances are troubling you. And, as you know, sometimes God Himself will send storms to test your faith, and to help mold you into a faith filled servant of His, by teaching you to rely on Him, and Him only.
Hebrews 12:6 explains, "Whom the Lord loves He chastens."
"Afflictions are but the shadows of God's Wings." - George Macdonald
If you have not yet put your faith in Jesus as the Savior, and believe that it is only by Jesus' shed blood at Calvary we can find salvation..... that Jesus' redemptive work on the cross made a way for us to have eternal life because He was our substitute and took our sins upon Himself to pay our sin debt in full ! Now is the time to call upon Him and repent and surrender your life to Him. Pray for forgiveness! Following are Scriptures to help you :
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." - John 3:36
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me." - John 14:6
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16
Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend.... and life !!
Waterfalls can be refreshing to the soul. Kinda reminds me of the "living water" the Bible speaks of.
In John 4, Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman at the well and told her of living water.
Verse 10 says: "Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water."
Verse 14 : "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life."
Commenting on verse 14 above, Albert Barnes' Notes says, in part, "Jesus here refers without doubt to His own teaching, His "grace", His "Spirit", and to the benefits which come into the soul that embraces His gospel."
In John 7:37-39, Jesus meant the Holy Spirit was living water, because He had not died yet, and the Spirit to come Who would indwell future believers, therefore, had not yet been sent. Acts 10:44-45 informs us that the Holy Spirit fell on the Gentiles. This was, of course, after Jesus' resurrection.
All the previous was written on this post to lead up to what Jesus said at John 15:5 : "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing."
Hopefully you will read all of John 15.
James Nisbet's Church Pulpit commentary informs us on John 15:5: "These words of Jesus might be more accurately translated thus: "Apart from Me, you can do nothing." The idea being not merely that the help of Jesus is required in order that we may have spiritual life and bear "Fruit" to the praise and glory of God, but that we cannot even possess spiritual life at all unless we are united to Him as the branch is united to the tree [or vine]." Nisbet also emphasizes, "There can be no life apart from Christ." ...."This particular kind of life is a Divine gift, and it is the beginning or germ of " life eternal."..... "There is no union with Christ without faith."
Following is a short 5 minute clip by Andrew Murray on the True Vine:
Also, on John 15:5, John Trapp comments ( a small portion of his Commentary) : "Christ is a generous vine, a plant of renown, and all His are "filled with the fruits of righteousness" (Philippians 1:11) and have hearts full of goodness, as those of Romans 15:14 and lives full of good works, as Tabitha at Acts 9:33. Nehemiah never rested from doing good for his people; he was good all over."
This blog has stressed frequently how important it is to develop a close, intimate, personal, loving relationship with the good Lord. And we do that by much prayer and by much Bible reading. Only in that way can we draw close to the Lord, which in turn will build our faith. Like any relationship, you cannot come to know the other Person if you never communicate with Him. And when God answers your sincere prayers, that will also build your faith in Him and help you to fellowship more often with Him and thereby draw closer and closer to Him.
Following is a powerful prayer to help you to be led by the Holy Spirit. (Remember, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.) This video is 11 minutes and packed with a powerful and moving message.
In this crazy and chaotic world we now find ourselves "spinning in", many people are fearful and wonder what tomorrow will bring. If you are not saved and have not put your faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior, things look pretty bleak to you, perhaps. And they are, because unless you have faith and believe that Jesus' death at Calvary and His shed blood there can wash your sins away (as He took our place on the cross and paid our sin debt in full, so that we could, by belief in His Redemptive work in our behalf, may have eternal life). .... Unless you are born again by belief in Jesus as the Savior, you will spend eternity in Hell when you die. (Luke 16:23 and Matthew 23:33).
If you are not yet saved (born again; a spiritual rebirth) the following Scriptures are for you.
John 3:36 reads, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me."- John 14:6
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16
Turn to Jesus now before it is too late.
Soon Jesus will return to take true believers to be in heaven with Him.
Will you be ready?
Jesus will welcome you with open arms to embrace you in His love and forgiveness.
He is waiting to hear from you !
Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend - and life !!
Do you try and try to be obedient to the good Lord and to do His will, but you fail time and time again? What is the cure for this? First of all, the following Scriptures will be of great help in explaining part of this dilemma.
Many of you, if not most believers, are familiar with Romans 7, and following are a few verses from that chapter concerning the struggle against sin:
(14) For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. (15) For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. (17) Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (18) For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. (19) For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. (20) Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me."
Please read all of Romans 7. It was written by the saintly apostle Paul! Even he struggled to stay pure! In the following verses of Romans 7, he tells us the "antidote" to overcome this difficulty:
Romans 7, verses 24 and 25 tells us: O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."
Following is a wonderful 37 minute audio sermon by Andrew Murray on this subject, and he speaks of Philippians 2 as well. It helped me tremendously and it will you as well. He speaks of the stages of the Christian life, and how believers MUST put God's will first in their lives. The reason we fail so many times and have no victory is because we need Jesus and the Holy Spirit and we need to put our entire dependence upon God -- we have no power on our own to be victorious in our Christian walk and life!
"The future is as bright as the promises of God." - William Carey
"Life's trials are not easy. But in God's will, each has a purpose." - Warren Wiersbe
"Our first duty is not to understand but to believe what God has said." - A. W. Pink
"I am not what I hope to be. But still, I am not what I used to be. And by the grace of God, I am what I am." - John Newton
"Let God have your life; He can do more with it than you can." - Dwight L. Moody
"For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not." - Isaiah 30:15
"All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." - Jesus at John 6:37
Below is a wonderful 11 minute video which explains five ways that God guides you to heaven - a must watch!
Following is a recent 12 minute video titled : "These Four Things Stop Your Prayer From Being Answered":
It is imperative for all to watch the above excellent video, but especially for any who struggle with prayer and wonder why their prayers are not answered.
Prayer is the way we can fellowship with the Heavenly Father, and thereby learn to love Him more and more. By frequent prayer, we will learn to "listen" to Him in our spirit and to feel His presence and to know His guidance concerning us -- and to better understand His will and His purpose for our lives.
The same is true when we diligently and frequently pour over God's Holy Word - the Bible. As has been said many times on this blog, the Bible is God's Love Letter to us, as well as His Instruction Manual for us to follow.
We live in urgent times!
Soon the 7 year Tribulation will begin! You do not want to be on this earth to suffer God's wrath which will be poured out then on the unbelievers left behind --- after the Rapture to heaven of true believers occurs, that is. The Tribulation will be an unprecedented time of horror and destruction - a "shaking" and an upheaval of such magnitude that we cannot even begin to imagine the enormity of it!
(Read Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 for the signs Jesus gave concerning the time of His return in these last days !! Also go to the search box at the top right hand side of this page and enter such things as "end time signs, Bible prophecy converging now, the Rapture, the 7 Year Tribulation." Articles will appear on these subjects and some include videos with prominent scholars and pastors.)
The question is, are you Rapture Ready?
If you are a true believer and have put your faith and trust and belief in Jesus Christ as the Savior and the only way to heaven; and believe that His shed blood at the cross will wash away your sins because He took our place at Calvary and paid our sin debt in full by His sacrificial death....became our Redeemer; then you have the hope of eternal life !
" Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?" - John 11:25-26
Following are Bible verses concerning the way to salvation:
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life: but the wrath of God abideth on him." - John 3:36
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." - John 14:6
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16
Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend - and life !!
